But this 307-year-old city on the banks of the Rio Grande really means it.

Founded in 1706 by Don Francisco Cuervo y Valdez, the “illustrious son of the province of Asturias, Spain,” Albuquerque is composed of a dozen “neighborhoods” that combine contemporary glass-and-steel skyscrapers with traditional adobe casitas and juxtapose upscale boutiques and European-style bistros with open-air craft markets and family-owned restaurants specializing in authentic New Mexican cuisine.

That, by the way, means putting chile peppers in virtually everything from omelets and burgers to chocolates and pastries. Hence, the official state question, “Red or green?” (Before I began frequenting New Mexico, it never occurred to me that a state could even have an official question, let alone one that’s food-related. But I digress.)

Some neighborhoods are gateways to dormant volcanoes and ancient Native American pueblos. Others serve as kitschy, neon-lit crossroads for Route 66, an original National Highway System road that’s arguably the most famous stretch of asphalt in the country and perhaps on the planet.

Still others offer prime birding and wildlife-viewing opportunities or focus on hiking, cycling, skiing and the hot-air ballooning that is the city’s signature outdoor activity. The Balloon Fiesta Park neighborhood that hosts the annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta — the largest event of its kind in the world, continuing this year through Oct. 13 — even has its own hot-air balloon museum.

And then there’s my favorite neighborhood, Old Town. A treasure-trove of Spanish Colonial-era art, architecture and historical attractions, Old Town is home to more than 130 shops and restaurants, along with several museums that celebrate everything from New Mexico turquoise to rattlesnakes.

Built, in the manner of a traditional Spanish community, around a central plaza and a Catholic church — in this case, the 1793 San Felipe de Neri Church — Old Town literally glows with eye-popping color.

And in Old Town Plaza, five flags display distinctive blue, green, red, white and yellow designs representing Spain, Mexico, the United States, New Mexico and the Confederate states.

While the latter may seem incongruous to modern sensibilities, the Confederate flag, along with a replica pair of mountain howitzers said to “guard” the park-like Plaza, commemorate a local connection to the Civil War.

In April 1862, Confederate troops that had invaded New Mexico Territory were returning to Texas after their defeat at Glorieta Pass east of Santa Fe. These troops buried eight cannon barrels near the Plaza to prevent them from falling into the hands of pursuing Union forces.

Twenty-seven years later, the howitzer barrels, each of which could fire a 12-pound, exploding shell a distance of 1,000 yards, were unearthed from what was then a chile-pepper patch about 500 feet northeast of the San Felipe de Neri Church.

Two were initially exhibited in the Plaza before being replaced by the replicas.

The originals didn’t go far, though; both are now ensconced in The Albuquerque Museum of Art and History, just two blocks away at the entrance to Old Town.